Phaedon Gizikis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Phaedon Gizikis Φαίδων Γκιζίκης
Gizikis in 1968
President of Greece
In office 25 November 1973 (1973-11-25) – 17 December 1974 (1974-12-17)
Appointed by	Dimitrios Ioannidis
Prime Minister	Adamantios Androutsopoulos Konstantinos Karamanlis
Preceded by	Georgios Papadopoulos
Succeeded by	Michail Stasinopoulos
Personal details
Born	(1917-06-16)16 June 1917 Volos, Kingdom of Greece
Died	26 July 1999(1999-07-26) (aged 82) Athens, Greece
Alma mater	Hellenic Military Academy
Awards	Gold Cross of Valour Grand Commander of the Order of George I Grand Commander of the Order of the Phoenix War Cross Medal of Military Merit
Military service
Allegiance	Kingdom of Greece Greek junta
Branch/service	Hellenic Army
Years of service	1939–1974
Rank	General
Battles/wars	World War II Greco-Italian War Battle of Greece Greek Civil War 1967 Greek coup d'état

Phaedon Gizikis (born June 16, 1917 – died July 26, 1999) was a Greek army general. He served as the last President of Greece during a time when Greece was ruled by a military government, known as the Greek junta, from 1973 to 1974.

Early Life and Military Career

Phaedon Gizikis was born in Volos, Greece. He chose a career in the Hellenic Army, which is the Greek Army. He graduated from the Hellenic Military Academy in 1939. He became a second lieutenant, which is a junior officer rank, in the artillery. Artillery involves using large guns.

Military Service and Important Events

Gizikis took part in several important conflicts. He fought in the Greco-Italian War and the Greek Civil War. In 1967, he supported a major change in government, known as the 1967 Greek coup d'état. This event led to a military government taking control of Greece. During this time, Gizikis held many important positions in the military.

Becoming President

On November 25, 1973, Gizikis was given the title of President of the Republic. This happened after the previous leader, Georgios Papadopoulos, was replaced by Dimitrios Ioannidis. Just three days later, Gizikis was promoted to the highest military rank, a full General. He even signed the order for his own promotion.

Presidency and Transition

While Gizikis was president, important events happened, including a situation in Cyprus. After the military government in Greece collapsed in 1974, Gizikis was given the job of forming a new government. He asked Constantine Karamanlis to lead this new government. Gizikis remained president for about four months after the military government ended. He stayed in office until a new set of rules for the country could be put in place. After this, Michail Stasinopoulos took over as president.

Later Life and Retirement

Gizikis retired from the army in 1974. He also resigned from his position as head of state on the same day. In 1976, a military court decided to stop legal actions against him. These actions were related to his time working with the former military government.

Phaedon Gizikis passed away on July 26, 1999. He died at a military hospital in Athens, Greece. This was just one month after the death of Georgios Papadopoulos, who was the leader before him.